It is time for race two of the weekend in SRO Pirelli GT4 America here at Virginia International Raceway. It appears the start time for this one is moved up from where yours truly had it originally scheduled which shows the SRO's efficiency with their race scheduling for multiple races during the weekend. This is race eight of the championship on this old-school, high-speed circuit and the championship battle is being turned on as we speak. It is cooler this morning with less humidity. The grass is drying out compared to how damp it was yesterday as we join Kyle Heyer, Calvin Fish, and Amanda Busick. We are going to see a massive battle. Mercedes #89, the team is concerned about an ignition coil problem on the #89 RENNtech Motorsports Mercedes of Mattheus Leist and Michael Auriemma.
John Capestro-Dubets is hoping to keep the car clean and protect it while doing all they can to win, sharing the #18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Jake Cowden is at Leist's elbow on the outside pole. Jake Cowden is once again driving Marco Solo, so, when the mid-race pit stop happens, he will jump out of the car, run across and tag the pit wall, and run back and jump back into the driving seat. He was on the podium yesterday. He missed out on a second bottle of champagne. The intensity ramps up for race two. Everyone will be pressing hard. The cars roll off the starting grid.
Qualifying two set the grid for this race. The second driver is starting the race. The cars are on their warmup laps. Car #89, we thought there were fuel issues, but it is an electrical issue for the Auriemma and Leist duo. Jake Cowden all by his lonesome on the pole. 27 cars starting. We ran a green flag race yesterday with no yellows. Parker Thompson and Daniel Hanley will be coming from the tail end of the grid sharing in the Hanley Motorsports Toyota GR Supra GT4. Flying Lizard, Skip Barber, Blackdog Speedshop, all have the new Nissan Z NISMO GT4 and the Nissan dealers in the Alton, Virginia, area, and elsewhere are here to support their teams.
OK. We are formed up for a start. Noah's Ark formation, and here they come. Jake Cowden and Mattheus Leist on the front row. A late green flag, but it does wave, and we are racing at Virginia International Raceway! Some contact between the Smooge Racing Toyota Supra and one of the Auto Technic BMW's. Eric Filgueiras has made a move on Mattheus Leist and the Brazilian is dropping back and one of the Techsport Nissan Z cars has spun. That is the #22 car, Eric Powell at the wheel of it to start the race, sharing with Colin Harrison. The #18 RS1 Porsche Cayman was also caught up in the shemozzle. That's Roland and Austin Krainz sharing that automobile.
There is a bit of damage as he flick spins the car. With the #89 Mercedes, do they have further engine woes? Up Madison Avenue for the first time as Kay van Berlo goes around Mattheus Leist. The #89 Mercedes is losing speed. He has intermittent power loss from the 4-liter V8 motor. Tyler McQuarrie and James Walker Jr. were on the back foot yesterday and so they must capitalize on points opportunities in today's race if they want to stay in the championship picture. Kay van Berlo moving up from the middle of the pack. Jaden Lander is the lead Am class car. Lander in the #099 Rotek Racing Porsche Cayman sharing with Robb Holland the team owner.
Eric Filgueiras feeling the heat from Zac Anderson into South Bend and so, the Porsche driver proceeds to slam the door in the BMW driver's face. Into The Snake they go. Eric Filgueiras is feeling a different dynamic sharing with John Capestro-Dubets and of course, last year, Filgueiras drove a GT3 Porsche 911 GT3R (992) with the Scotsman Stevan McAleer in Fanatec GT World Challenge America. Leading the Am class is Lander who has Charlie Postins and Chris Walsh in the BMW M4 GT4's right behind him. Postins sharing the #36 Bimmerworld BMW M4 GT4 with James Clay while Walsh shares the #20 Carrus Callas Raceteam entry with Nick Shanny.
Trouble for Austin Krainz in the #18 RS1 Porsche Cayman with left front damage and he had more contact with the #22 Nissan Z car. In this replay, let's see what happened. Watch the center of your screen. I think Powell spun all on his own. It was hard to see because he appeared to be the meat in the sandwich and had nowhere to go into the corner. Zac Anderson is monstering Jake Cowden for the lead in the Silver class. The top four cars are Silver rated. Cowden, Anderson, Filgueiras, and Tyler Gonzalez is in fourth in the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota Supra sharing that car with John Geesbreght.
At RENNtech there is a meeting of the minds between the team and the Mercedes-AMG representatives working on an ignition coil issue that is causing a misfire. Speaking of power, Zac Anderson in the #51 AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 just blows by Jake Cowden like he was standing still! That was into the apex at turn ten. Tyler Gonzalez moves to the inside of Eric Filgueiras through Oak Tree corner and approaching the dyno run down Madison Avenue. This is getting feisty early doors in GT4 race two at VIR! Michael Cooper in the Blackdog Speedshop Nissan Z, car #9 is also in this scrap. It's a drag race to The Rollercoaster and Eric Filgueiras moves through and makes the pass stick.
Michael Cooper has had a pole and displayed great speed, leading the Pro-Am division coming through the climbing esses. Side by side now through this section of the course as the Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M4 GT4 #20 goes around one of the two Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4's. That is the #24 of Roman De Angelis sharing with Gray Newell, from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He has moved to Phoenix, Arizona to work with the race team. He is also working in the simulator. Roman De Angelis quickest of anyone in sector one and sector three. After his off-course excursion, Eric Powell has the fastest sector time in sector two on the circuit. He will be determined to get back positions lost.
Powell is of course sharing with Colin Harrison. Roman De Angelis now working by Charlie Postins I believe in the #36 Bimmerworld BMW M4 GT4. This is a deep, competitive field in GT4. Filgueiras keeping in touch with Zac Anderson while Michael Cooper has Mike Skeen in the #53 AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 right on his six. Skeen sharing that car with Mark Brummond. That is the battle for the Pro-Am class lead. Tyler Gonzalez has fallen to sixth spot in the overall as Skeen now muscles his way by Cooper on the outside! They make contact! Use all of the curb through Oak Tree corner and now they fly their way onto Madison Avenue, the backstretch here at VIR.
Tyler Gonzalez is running in a different class. But that doesn't matter really because he still wants a bite of the cherry. Gonzalez sharing the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota Supra with John Geesbreght. The Supra whistles past the Nissan Z car. This is into The Rollercoaster. Kenton Koch, after running short on fuel in race one yesterday, he has the #97 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 now in seventh place sharing with Kevin Boehm. Eric Filgueiras meanwhile is right at Zac Anderson's back door so to speak. Ten minutes into the race and he wants it.
At Porsche and BMW, they both felt they were in great shape. If it heats up the balance could swing back towards the Porsche's favor. In the heat, the BMW would have the edge. It is milder this morning here in Virginia and so, I think the BMW is running less efficiently than the Porsche at this point. It is all about the performance window, the Balance of Performance. Balance of Performance equalizes lap time. That is what makes sports car racing special. Koch is being harried now by Cooper. BMW vs. Nissan. This is a long backstretch down Madison Avenue as we said.
The Nissan Z car has torque through the middle part of the acceleration range before it runs out of steam towards the end of the straight and Cooper pulls another gear. The Toyota Supra and the BMW M4 GT4 are slightly stronger. Tyler McQuarrie and co-driver James Walker Jr. in the #82 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 need to get back in the fight. In the Silver class here is the points table situation.
1. #28 Filgueiras/Capestro-Dubets RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport 151 points
2. #51 Anderson/Garrett Autotechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 130 points -21
3. #97 Koch/Boehm Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 129 points -22
AutoTechnic might be able to eat into the lead if they keep the pace up they have now. Eric Filgueiras is aware to not push too hard to save his tires for JCD to pick up the baton and keep pushing in the second half of the race here this morning. Jake Cowden is managing his tires for himself. It is slightly cooler than earlier in the week. It is hard to get out of the car ad hop right back in already hot. Some drivers are beginning to slice through the field like a hot knife through butter with Kenton Koch picking up eight places from where he started while Parker Thompson has picked up six place and three drivers have each earned five including Mike Skeen, Rodrigo Baptista, and Chris Walsh.
Just 13 minutes on the board in this 60-minute event. Eric Filgueiras is now side by side with Zac Anderson, going for the lead! This is into The Rollercoaster. Anderson and Filgueiras each wriggle their way through The Rollercoaster there, and now, will Jake Cowden have an opportunity for making a move? Filgueiras could go from hunter to hunted. Great to see Mike Skeen in the AutoTechnic Racing BMW. We see some slight damage to the right front corner of the #26 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. That is Hannah Grisham at the wheel of it sharing with Hannah Greenmeier. The Silver class entry.
Eric Powell now turning up the heat on Parker Thompson. We have a great scrap happening in the Am class. Jaden Lander in the Rotek Racing Porsche Cayman over the two BMW M4 GT4's, the Carrus Callas entry of Chris Walsh and the BimmerWorld entry of Charlie Postins. Not too many Am entries because some cars have had derogation changes and have been moved up. This Rotek Racing Porsche Cayman is the same car that Robb Holland took to the summit of Pikes Peak in the annual Pikes Peak Hillclimb. So, we can see the top three running order in the Am class. Let's take a look.
1. #099 Lander/Holland Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
2. #36 Postins/Clay BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 G82
3. #20 Walsh/Shanny Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M4 G82
Kris Wilson is also back there right behind Chris Walsh. With the pit stop strategy, maximize your faster driver's stint time which can last up to 35 minutes. However, if the driver in the car now does not have the pace, maximize the faster driver's stint time and the earliest that can begin happening is when the clock reaches 36 minutes and ten seconds. So, we might see strategy beginning to unfold here in about eight minutes' time. 1/4 of the race done. Jaden Lander leading the Am class. BimmerWorld are righting the ship the best they can as we see Eric Filgueiras taking a lunge at Zac Anderson another time, through NASCAR Bend. Anderson playing defense giving Filgueiras a tough run for his money.
Anderson is slightly vulnerable, and he has his hands full too with Jake Cowden, Mike Skeen, Tyler Gonzalez, and others. Kenton Koch snatches Fastest Lap of the motor race so far at 1:55.122. That was 7/10ths of a second than the overall leader, Zac Anderson. Up Madison Avenue again. Kenton Koch is in full attack mode maximizing for Kevin Boehm's stint. They had a bad race yesterday and Filgueiras and company had a good race on Saturday. Tyler Gonzalez in the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota Supra, the 2023 Toyota GR Cup champion. We are at the halfway mark in the season as Anderson is managing the track position.
If Eric Filgueiras opens the door, you can bet dollars to donuts that Jake Cowden will step right through it. Filgueiras is probing and Zac Anderson is staying solid, right out to the edge of the road through The Rollercoaster. Use the curbs, dropping several stories. The Rollercoaster is a high commitment section of VIR. It is like a runaway train when you tip the car into the corner off the top. It is like a slalom skiier. Anderson right in the middle of the road headed for turn one and I think Filgueiras is loosening him up. He is sneaking to the inside, look. Filgueiras in no man's land with a tighter steering input off the corner. Filgueiras wriggles the Porsche again and Jake Cowden is waiting patiently for these two chaps ahead of him to make a mistake.
1/3rd of the way through this race. Filgueiras is getting antsy because he knows he has the quicker car than these other two blokes he is sandwiched between. On the outside, that is a danger zone where no one wants to give way and we still have 39 minutes left on the board. Live to fight another day. Kenton Koch lost some ground in the exchange with Tyler Gonzalez. Mike Skeen leading the Pro-Am class chasing the Silver ranked entries. Michael Cooper is also back there in the #9 Blackdog Speedshop Nissan Z car he is sharing with Tony Gaples. Back down to The Rollercoaster, Kenton Koch is closing in.
Here is your Am class running order as we watch the lead battle between Jaden Lander and Charlie Postins.
1. #099 Lander/Holland Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
2. #36 Postins/Clay BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 G82
3. #20 Walsh/Shanny Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M4 GT4 G82
4. #98 Wilson/Sparta Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82
5. #52 Carpentier/Peterman NOLASport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
6. #16 Sharinn/Sharinn Skip Barber Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4
7. #72 Geraci/Bergstein KRUGSPEED Toyota Supra GT4 EVO
Robb Holland is sticking with GT4 because he wants to be where the racing is and he is certainly there. They are also very successful in GT America. Some of these teams have talented individuals with great experience in other championships like IndyCar. James Clay must have a lot of family and friends here. Mike Skeen passes Jake Cowden and Kenton Koch has started pishing as we see the Flying Lizard Nissan Z car trailing smoke. Side by side with Kenton Koch and Mike Skeen and now, Jake Cowden becomes the meat in a BMW sandwich.
The safety car has been deployed. We have the #20 Carrus Callas BMW M4 GT4 and the #22 Techsport Nissan Z car tangled up. Both are into the tires at turn three. Walsh and Powell have had a coming together. This is our first Full Course Yellow, right before the pit window and the driver changes which will compress everything. Oh boy. 36 minutes to go. The pit window has just opened. The minimum pit lane delta is 70 seconds line to line. This tangle has occurred in turn 11. The decklid is smashed in so he must have clonked the tire barriers, the #20 car.
We have not seen the #22 Nissan move from the scene of the shunt. Eric Powell is out of the car and so it is damaged, and I believe they are out of it. For now, the pit lane is closed. We'll have to see what the pit sequences will be. The pit window is affected by the safety car scrambles. There is a maximum drive time in 2024 but no mandated pit window in each race like we have seen in the past. It gets really messy if you are pitting under yellow and go a lap ahead of the field. Closing pit lane unless there is emergency service is the logical thing to do.
Co-drivers readying for their stints. The pits are now open, and everyone dives in. It is like Grand Central Station down there. With that said, not coming to pit lane now is a king size mistake. The time loss is a lot less behind the safety car as John Capestro-Dubets is into the #28. Robb Holland into the #099. The minimum stop time still exists. You can be boxed in a bit. Many teams are employing the same strategy. The majority of teams come in. The #28 RS1 Porsche beats the #51 Auto Technic BMW out of the pit lane. Wow.
#28 was just outside the minimum stop time, and it was slower for Colin Garrett who is now in the #51 car. Matt Bell takes over the #43 P1 Groupe Mercedes-AMG GT4 from Alex Vogel. This team led a ton of laps in race one yesterday. The field is stacked up for the restart and now Chris Walsh is back into the pit lane with big damage on the bumper and a small bite taken out of the left front fender just above the headlight. There is significant rear end damage to the #20 car though. 3/4 of that rear tail is stoved in. Walsh came by something on track, and they have put Nick Shanny into the car. No time to fix the damage.
We saw some smoke from one of the Nissan Z cars. Maybe fluid was leaking out of it. Hard to tell. We look at the replay as the cars turn out of Oak Tree and onto Madison Avenue. Panning the camera back to the turn we can see that the #20 has clouted the wall. The #22 sails in late and... bang! The rear of the Nissan clatters into the rear of the BMW and that is where all this damage for the #20 came from. Into the second half of the race. If it is green, your pace is normal. Under safety car, cars that have pitted already can catch the pack and some cars will lose track position. Heart of Racing Aston Martin in the lane and Roman De Angelis finishes his stint and hands the wheel over to Gray Newell for the second half.
Same for the #13 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin with Tom Dyer out and Todd Parriott in. Maybe there was a miscommunication as we thought for a minute that pit lane was initially closed. Well, just hang on for the next 28 minutes and 45 seconds. John Capestro-Dubets is now in the lead of the motor race in the #28 RS1 Porsche Cayman. Mark Brummond is up to third behind Colin Garrett and in fourth place it is Kevin Boehm. James Clay and BimmerWorld have now gone back to the top of the tree in the Am class. The only car running afoul of the minimum stop time was the #68 Toyota Supra for Smooge Racing with Tyler Gonzalez handing off to John Geesbreght. They will have to serve a nine or ten second penalty at the end of the race.
#22 is loaded onto the rollback. The damage pattern was very strange with the rear-to-rear contact. The bumper is supposed to take the force not the boot. Here are the updated points as they run.
1. #28 Filgueiras/Capestro-Dubets RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport 158 points
2. #97 Koch/Boehm Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 (G82) 134 points -24
3. #51 Anderson/Garrett Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 (G82) 123 points -35
The amount of rain in the last 36-48 hours that we have had here at VIR means the grass is slick and you are going for a ride, spearing off into the Armco. If you run wide through turns 11 and 12, you are constantly turning and you get in the gray, you do run off wide. There had to be fluid down when those two cars spun off. The front of the car is loaded, and the rear gets away from you. The sister #23 TechSport Nissan Z NISMO GT4 with Jonathan Neudorf at the wheel of it sharing with Michai Stephens. Neudorf replaces Stephens in the car on the driver change.
Roman De Angelis and the #24 Heart of Racing Aston Martin are battling through an air conditioning issues on that car. They are limiting driver time for Gray Newell. At the same time, the sister #26 Heart of Racing Aston of the two Hannah's, Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenmeier, is also in strife, being pushed down the pit lane. This race has gone pear shaped for Heart of Racing. Roman De Angelis is driving with the door open with the AC unit not working. He is based in Phoenix, Arizona, and getting used to the heat, which is hot though it is dry. It is great for training but do it early in the day.
The #20 BMW left pit lane with the left rear taillight dangling by it's wiring harness. Only one brake light needs to be operative but just make sure the light fixture doesn't fall off. We are still under our first Full Course Yellow. There are new villas being constructed here at VIR. There is a racetrack, but there is so much more to Virginia International Raceway. The villas are a great place to watch the races. They have a go kart track, an industrial center for the race teams including the Skip Barber organization, and much more. Meanwhile, we are about to hear from Chris Walsh and his perspective on this predicament with his race car.
Walsh says they were having a great race and into Oak Tree there was no grip. He was already in the fluid, couldn't slow down, got on the grass, and got hit from behind. Nick Shanny is still out there, and they are just picking up the pieces at this stage. We are back to green! 22 minutes and change left on the board. Jake Cowden takes a lunge into turn one and there's a bump between John Geesbreght and Kevin Boehm. Cowden tries to make a pass on Boehm and cannot. Boehm is rebounding from the contact. Two Silver class cars battling for P3 up through The Snake and the climbing esses.
Kevin Boehm wants by as Marc Brummond is the cork in the bottle in car #53 that was started today by Mike Skeen. A wriggle through Oak Tree for John Geesbreght and now Kevin Boehm can pounce. Running up Madison Avenue this is a messy situation into The Rollercoaster, as Cowden tags the #68 Supra of Geesbreght and slithers off the road and possibly into the barriers! He was turning into the corner, with less grip, the antilock brakes kick in and then you are cannoned straight across the road. So, Colin Garrett is now monstering JCD, John Capestro-Dubets for the overall lead. Will Geesbreght and company escape from turn 14? We could potentially have another yellow.
Cowden has a king size head of steam, and I don't know if he meant to get alongside the Supra, but he sure did, nonetheless. He missed the braking point, swerved to the right and shot like a dart across the track! Oy vey! It is so tricky going side by side if you don't give it up. Not a massive impact but definitely a couple of drivers who got wrongfooted. Cowden is stuck in the tires at Rollercoaster, and we could see another Full Course Yellow. Into the final third of the race. Double yellows are out for the second time. So, we will get another late race restart. Geesbreght has trundled back to the pit lane, and they check the car. The second place Am class BMW of James Clay hits the pit lane.
Nothing on the noticeboard about a penalty but they do have a problem with a flat left rear tire it appears. This is emergency service. Other than yesterday with their victory, BimmerWorld have been suffering these little, tiny setbacks all season. They are coming off back-to-back championships. Time is running out. GT4 cars do not have a single lug nut wheel like the GT3 cars. They still use the old school five lug nut system. Clay is back out and will salvage something surely.
In the Pro-Am class the battle is on between Mark Brummond and Curt Swearingin. #53 AutoTechnic BMW vs. #7 ACI Motorsports Porsche Cayman. Let's take a look at the replay when the Full Course Yellow came out. Aye yaye yaye yaye yaye! The BMW clobbered the #72 Krugspeed Toyota Supra. That was right when the yellow flew! Oh. Oh dear. Looking at that wheel, it is damaged, the left rear tire and it is a testament to the season for BimmerWorld. The Smooge Racing Supra of Tyler Gonzalez and John Geesbreght, the #68 car, was checked over and is back on track too. Everyone slows up ahead, you can't see the corner, you think you have an opening, and... ker-runch! That incident could have been a lot worse, transitioning from local yellow to Full Course Yellow.
Jake Cowden is on the tow truck after being on the Silver podium yesterday, hogging the race car for the entire weekend. Something else is wrong with the #68 Gear Wrench sponsored Supra as it sits forlornly in the grass right before The Snake. Something is broken and John Geesbreght was trying to get to a safe haven. Time is running out, and quickly. This is going to become a real sprint race. Robb Holland and Paul Sparta have daylight between themselves in the Am class, but with the Silver and Pro-Am classes I think we are going to see a hornet's nest in both of them headed for the checkers this morning at VIR. Curt Swearingin must be thinking ACI Motorsports can sweep the weekend, second in Pro-Am and fifth in the overall. Now, we are going to have another look at how the Smooge Racing Supra came to a halt.
The right front wheel is out of square, and the toe link is broken. I see. I see. That is commonplace with the independent suspension systems on these production-based sports cars. Oh jeez! We have to do another summary of the points as they run before this race ends. Here's what we have, albeit in the Am class which I don't think we've covered yet this morning.
1. #98 Wilson/Sparta Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 162 points
2. #099 Holland/Lander Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport 99 points -63
3. #36 Clay/Postins BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 G82 80 points -82
The toe link, when they break, the sidewalls of the tires grab when they fall off and fail and so does the toe link. Good thing too that it happened under yellow because at full speed, if the toe link snaps, you are going for an almighty slide into no man's land and copping a massive whack into the barriers. We still have almost half the season left to go. Kris Wilson is teamed with Paul Sparta for 2024. Al Carter has been racing with him in the past, but Al was not able to commit to racing a full-season campaign in 2024 so the team brought Wilson in as co-driver.
John Geesbreght is getting back behind the wheel of the Toyota Supra. We are hearing now about the #97 Random Vandals BMW team. No fuel issues and they are in good shape. Of course, there are no fuel pit stops in the GT4 class. Fuel is weight and that compromises the performance of the car, but don't risk running out. John Capestro-Dubets will be scrapping with Colin Garrett but also watch out for Kevin Boehm and the Pro-Am battle between Mark Brummond and Curt Swearingin as well. Swearingin is right in the wheel tracks of Brummond. Safety Car lights still on, so we will take one more pace lap.
We should restart with six minutes left on the clock yielding a three-lap sprint. Will JCD tuck Colin Garrett up like a kipper? Will Colin Garrett find a way to do that to JCD? We're about to find out. There will be drivers in aggressive mode. It is so hard to escape from the grass if you go for a ride with so little time left on the board. Next time by we go green. Three Silver division cars are left in the fight with three more top contenders that headed for the house earlier. Robb Holland will have a buffer of three Pro-Am class cars right behind him and to the next rival, Paul Sparta. David Peterman and Nolasport are also having a solid podium run. Let me correct myself, the car involved with the #36 BimmerWorld BMW was not the #72 Krugspeed Supra, it was the #999 Hanley Motorsports Supra, the Hanley/Thompson car.
They are also out of the motor race. Lance Bergstein is sitting fourth in the Am class in the #72 Krugspeed Supra. They are being supported by Smooge Racing this weekend at VIR. JCD could pull the pin early, but he is slowing it down, getting the Porsche into its sweet spot, and yes, I think he will take Colin Garrett by surprise as they accelerate on the restart. Yes! JCD has tucked Garrett up like a kipper by three car lengths. Swearingin pushes his way past Brummond. Brummond is not rolling over to have his tummy scratched. He is forcing his way to the inside! A late dive into NASCAR Bend does not work out for the BMW driver.
Curt Swearingin takes the class lead and behind these blokes it is all side-by-side stuff, look. Matt Bell lunges past James Walker Jr. Another one of the BimmerWorld BMW's gobbled up by the P1 Groupe Mercedes. Robb Holland doing everything he knows to hang onto the Am victory possibility, but he is swarmed by Pro-Am cars on all sides. Be careful. He does not want to throw away this class lead. Robb Holland trying to stay ahead of Paul Sparta. With that said, Matt Bell will soon be on Holland's six. Holland does the wise thing and let's Bell go.
James Walker Jr. is next behind Jolland. Random Vandals Racing can win in Am today. James Walker Jr. and Tyler McQuarrie finished in the top six yesterday, but they are looking for more as we close in on the finish of race two this morning. They were in the thick of the points lead battle. Also, after starting at the back of the grid, the #07 Precision Racing L.A. Toyota Supra moved up to 14th, with Alexandra Hainer at the wheel of it, sharing with Ryan Eversley. They are sixth or seventh in the Pro-Am class standings. Matt Bell pulls alongside of and passes Mark Brummond in the #53 AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4. Can Matt Bell seal the deal? Brummond hanging tough as they make contact through The Horseshoe on corner exit. Bell is hanging tough here. Into NASCAR Bend, Brummond doesn't have enough.
Next corner, Left Hook. Bell on the attack. Brummond is motoring as well. Three and a half minutes on the clock should yield one or two more laps as we see the most places gained in the overall standings led by Matt Bell gaining 21 spots, 12 for Alexandra Hainer, 11 for Kevin Boehm, ten for David Peterman, and eight spot gained from his starting position, for Paul Sparta. The #51 Auto Technic BMW slides through the grass down Madison Avenue! Colin Garrett goes for a ride and fortunately I don't think he hit anything! Phew! A lucky escape!
He survived the wet grass, but it is devastating for that specific car. They came into the weekend in third but will lose spots. Bell has steamed right up behind Pro-Am leader Curt Swearingin. This is going to be a fierce scrap at the top end of town. Not close enough to the leaders, but at least a scrum for the back half of the top five. Bell is flying! Curt Swearingin is defending for his life! He erased that gap in a heartbeat. Curt Swearingin and Kay van Berlo doing everything they know to try and sweep the weekend here at VIR in Pirelli GT4 America. Swearingin chooses the middle of the road and fades to the left. Bell is close behind but gets stymied through turn one.
Bell to the outside. He has not had time to analyze where Swearingin will be vulnerable. Bell opens the door. Will he jog through? Into Left Hook, and Swearingin slams the door in his face. Keep it clean. Swearingin is hanging in there by his fingernails. A minute and a half before this race ends. The penultimate lap through the esses and South Bend. Don't overcharge the corner. Matt Bell sails through Oak Tree corner, trying to find the launch, back to power early as they scream down Madison Avenue for the final time of asking. Bell is in Swearingin's slipstream down Madison Avenue. Into The Rollercoaster is a hint of a passing opportunity but it is tricky.
Bell nudges the Porsche loosening him up. Knock, knock. Hello, mate. I'm still here. White flag this time. Bell running out of opportunities. Swearingin hanging on. How bad does Matt Bell want it? Swearingin is wide and the door opens for Matt Bell. He can't do the over/under yet. Through NASCAR Bend. Bell lining up the pass, trying to force it, tries and gives it up. Crossing over and through The Snake he makes the pass! That was great race craft! Holy moly! Matt Bell and Alex Vogel have moved forward from the back of the pack. Bell has pushed the bye bye button.
Robb Holland and Mark Brummond in a battle, but not for position in the same class. Holland has a Captain Cook at setting up a move on Brummond through The Rollercoaster. For RS1 Porsche and John Capestro-Dubets alongside Eric Filgueiras, they do the double! Break out the broom! It is a sweep! Kenton Koch and Kevin Boehm bring the Random Vandals BMW home in second place and in third, winning in Pro-Am and scoring a podium place it is Matt Bell and Alex Vogel in the #43 Mercedes-AMG GT4 for P1 Groupe! In the Am division it is Robb Holland and Rotek Racing winning! Robb Holland and Jaden Lander will celebrate victory in race two!
Overall/Silver: #28 Filgueiras/Capestro-Dubets RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
Pro-Am: #43 Vogel/Bell P1 Group Mercedes-AMG GT4
Am: #099 Holland/Lander Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
This car for Holland was run up Pikes Peak in the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb and now, the same chassis is a race winner here at Virginia International Raceway. Lots of dust and debris being kicked up on the cooldown lap. Cue the dance music for the results. RS1 back on top. Random Vandals improved from yesterday just a bit. P1 Group and Rotek Racing are the other class winners of course. BimerWorld ended up fourth in Am. They will have a tough slog for the rest of the year in the championship fight.
We are into the second half of the championship in Pirelli GT4 America for 2024. ACI Motorsports have the points advantage in Pro-Am and Paul Sparta and Kris Wilson have the Am class points lead. The next Pirelli GT4 America races we will see will be the usual doubleheader and will take place at the 4-mile ribbon of asphalt at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. That race will take place in less than a month. So, join us in dairy country in Wisconsin, with only three rounds remaining. Road America, Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, and the finale at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.
We will see you soon for more Pirelli GT4 America action. But stay tuned. Race two for GT World Challenge America at VIR, is coming up, soon. You will not want to miss it.
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